This invention relates to a device, system and process for facilitating remote customer service. More particularly, the present invention relates to a data transfer device to facilitate communication between a plurality of users and a plurality of human customer service representatives using text, audio, video and workspace remote-control mechanisms to improve the human-to-human aspect of the customer service experience.
In the competitive market of internet services, from book selling to banking, from furniture selling to tax advice, customer confusion using web-tools is a large source of lost revenue. Customers engaged in online-transactions will often find themselves confused, or in doubt as to the meaning or purpose of part of the process they are following. Customers unable to instantaneously find the answers they need in order to continue will often simply cancel their transaction, or look for services or product elsewhere. In the past, solutions such as one-click shopping, have been proposed to reduce the confusion of filling out forms by simplifying the process. However, in some specific fields, such as tax services, the process by its very nature cannot be simplified. In these fields, searchable online text-help has been proposed. While these systems aid internet-literate customers with common problems, it often alienates novice internet users and trepidatious customers. These customers generally require human help which-may be provided via a multimedia call center.
A call center is a business entity that provides a pool of trained call operators answering telephone queries of a similar nature. Call centers include specialized software to pool the body of knowledge upon which help is offered, and to allow call operators to provide consistent, accurate, helpful information instantly. A multimedia call center is an extension of the above, adding a plurality of access means. Included in a multi-media call center are video-conferencing, so that the call operator and customer can view each other""s images. Additionally, multimedia call centers include a remote-control method so that the customer and an operator can collaborate on web-navigation, data-entry, and walk-through various scenarios together. Multimedia adds the foregoing, as well as a process by which to synchronize and queue the various components such that the video, telephone and remote-control network connections are directed to the appropriate call operator simultaneously.
A multimedia call center overcomes some of the customer difficulties mentioned above. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,046,762 to Sonesh, for instance, discloses such a multimedia call center. However, despite the obvious advantages of a multimedia call center over previous methods for providing customer help online, there are several disadvantages to the current technology.
One of the disadvantages to the existing technology arises out of the concept of a pool of help operators. Non-multimedia help sessions, where the customer hears the call operator""s voice, but does not see the operator, results in a level of impersonal service, such that the customer and operator develop very little rapport. To the customer, the operator is an anonymous agent of the company or service they are calling. As a result, call centers treat the operators in an operator pool as equal resources, and attach no specific benefit to a customer talking to one operator over another. In the multimedia system, where the customer can view the operator, there is a very large element of rapport that comes into play. The customer perception will change, and the customer will think of the operator as an individual. The customer will experience an increased level of comfort and confidence when that rapport has been developed. The customer-operator rapport is potentially one of the key benefits of using video technology in a multimedia call center application.
However, customer-operator rapport takes time to develop. In fact, the customer operator rapport may take more than one call to establish. Furthermore, the customer-operator rapport will be strengthened with each subsequent call for a customer to the same operator. However, this violates one of the basic precepts of existing call queuing systems, namely that all call operators are equivalent. Existing queue management systems cannot take this into account, but rather simply send a customer to one of the operators in the pool each time a customer calls. As a result, there is a need in the prior art for a system and method for the ability of a customer to access the same operator each time they make a call.
A further disadvantage of existing queue management techniques in existing multimedia call center technology is that operator queues are managed in terms of the companies for which help service is being offered, rather than being centered around the customer-operator relationship. As stated above, the rapport developed between an operator and a user is a very powerful means of gaining user trust. Due to the absence of the concept of rapport in existing call center domains, call center queue management has centered on means of pooling help operators around a help database for a particular company. Since in previous models, the operator was anonymous and generic, the central help databasexe2x80x94the repository of knowledge used by operators to help users during callsxe2x80x94became the object around which the model was built. Therefore, prior art queue management techniques suffered for the disadvantage that they were focussed around the central help database, rather than the customer.
Another disadvantage of the existing technology is that video conferencing means employed do not take into account optimizations which can be made for one-way conferencing. Multimedia call centers treat multimedia calls as two way communication in the same manner as their precursor telephone calls. However, while the customer and operator must engage in two-way communication, there is very little value added when the operator can see the customer. First, the rapport generated between the customer and operator is intended for the customer""s benefit, so seeing the customer does not help the operator. Secondly, the operator must access knowledge-based software and perform remote-control functions to facilitate explanations to the customer, which effectiveness would be lessened by the presence of a video feed from the customer. Thirdly, customer privacy is impinged by the use of a customer to operator video feed. Finally, customers do not tend to own video acquisition devices to supply the video feed. As a result, the desired mechanism for video transfer is one-way-only. Due to this limitation, a number of performance enhancements can be made to the system to take advantage of this condition.
Another disadvantage of the existing technology is that during the customer idle time, as the customer""s call has been initiated, and the queue management system is locating and queuing the operator, there is no mechanism to use the captured customer data to help retain the customer during the wait period.
A further disadvantage of the existing technology as it applies to the remote control aspect of multimedia call center systems, is that existing remote-control applications allow the operator access to the entire user desktop. The user""s entire computer becomes accessible to the operator, whereas only the portion enclosed in the web-browser has relevance to the help call. Access to the entire desktop represents a security compromise that may cause many would-be-users to avoid the multimedia call center service, on grounds that relinquishing control of the desktop is too great a risk, or a violation of security policy.
A further disadvantage of the existing technology in the domain of remote control, applies to the possibility of intercepted communications between the user and the operator. A scenario exists in the current technology whereby a third-party can intercept and monitor the application under remote-control, thereby violating the privacy of the user. A further scenario exists whereby a malicious third-party may insert control imperatives into the communication channel between user and operator, and cause unwanted activity on the user""s and operator""s system, thereby compromising the security of both.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to at least partially overcome the disadvantages of the prior art. Also, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved type of device, system and process to facilitate remote customer service by increasing the rapport between a customer service representative and a customer. It is also an object of this invention to provide a device system and process which more efficiently utilizes the idle time during which a customer is waiting for an operator.
Accordingly, in one of its objects, the present invention resides in a multimedia telecommunication system said telecommunication system connecting a customer with one of a plurality of operators, said system comprising: a queue management device for connecting said customers to one of said plurality of operators; a database for storing customer information including an indication of which operators in the pool of operators communicated with specific customers in the past; wherein upon a customer accessing the multi-media telecommunications system, the queue management device determines which operator in the pool of operators the customer communicated with previously and sends a first signal to the customer identifying the previous operator.
In a further aspect, the present invention resides in A process for connecting a customer with one of a plurality of operators, said process comprising the steps of: (a) identifying the customer; (b) determining which operators in the pool of operators the customer communicated with previously; and (c) if the customer previously communicated with a previous operator, connecting the customer with the previous operator.
Accordingly, in one aspect, this invention provides a database which associates previous customers of the service with the operator who provided the service. The database creates an affinity between the customer and any previous operator they may have used, such that, where possible, the customer will be given a choice to wait for the same operator who previously provided service or be connected with a new operator. The queuing mechanism makes use of customer identification and the database to make the association. The queuing mechanism will also give repeat customers to the same operator priority in the queues.
In this way, the present invention facilitates remote customer service, in part, by connecting repeat customers with the previous operator. In this way, rapport will develop between the customer and operator. Furthermore, even if a customer develops a rapport with an operator during one call, this rapport will be strengthened over time if the caller can speak with the same operator in the future. Furthermore, a customer who deals with the same operator over multiple calls will enjoy the benefits of the rapport without having to re-develop a rapport with a different operator for each call. In addition, if the same operator handles subsequent calls for the customer, the operator can use the connection to ask follow-up questions on the results of the previous call, in a manner which will help re-establish rapport very quickly.
A further advantage of the present invention is that the central help data base can be replaced with an operator-user data base which make the operator-user relationship the central concept. The queue management can be refined to select an operator previously used by a user, across a pool of operators for several client companies. In this way, operator-client rapport can be improved thereby facilitating remote customer services.
A further advantage of this invention is to make optimizations for the efficient and effective delivery of two-way audio/one-way video stream from the operator to the customer. The optimizations shall add realism to the portrayal of the operator via the audio/video medium. Furthermore, the user sees visual symbols identifying the status of the link, so that any missed frames, or delayed video frames will not be mistaken for operator inactivity.
Still a further advantage of this invention is to provide a queue management mechanism which allows the company or individual offering the service to customize the audio/video information displayed while the user waits for the operator. In part, this is arranged by the queue management system associating the customer identification with other aspects of customer service. For example, in a company scenario, a customer waiting for help with an income-tax form from a tax consulting firm, may see audio/video advertising the consulting firm""s other services. In the case of an individual, such as a customer waiting to connect to an operator running an auction at a web-auction site, the customer may see information about the operators other auctions at that site. The contents of the audio/video stream encountered during the wait for operator period may be varied according to other customer information, such as income level, or other non-customer associated data, such as time of day, day of year, etc.
A further advantage of the present invention is that if the customer selects to wait for service, the established video feed to the customer can be used to provide the customer with topics, advice, or advertising, in full-video, relating to the service or system they are requesting help on, and relating to further environmental conditions, such as time of day, or local weather. The topics can also be queued to correspond to services that the customer may be interested in based on previous information collected on the customer. Furthermore, in addition to one-way video feeds, the link can be used for interactive customer activity, including, customer identification, completion of customer surveys, customer feedback on service, and other customer-driven activities.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a means for the operator and user to view the same browser information, without opening up the user""s entire desktop or computer to the operator. This type of device and system provides a large security advantage over existing systems. The device and system allows the operator to have control and access only to a viewable portion of the user""s web browser program or device. The activities of the user outside of the browser viewable area would not be known to the operator. Similarly, the operator will have no ability to influence the customer""s desktop or computer or device, apart from the visible area of the browser.
It is a further object of this invention to allow the customer to continue work unimpeded once the call request has been queued. That is, once the customer has chosen to wait for an operator, and has been informed of the expected queue time, the customer can continue to use the browser to go on to other activities. When the operator is available, the queuing system will provide the operator means to navigate the user""s browser back to the point where the call is made. This mechanism allows to user to spend the idle time in productive or leisurely activities at the customers discretion. The customer""s satisfaction is heightened by not being forced to wait idly, as with existing multi-media call center technology.
It is a further object of this invention to allow customers equipped with standard browsers to enjoy access to the service without the need for software installation. Existing technology relies on video transmission and remote-control software that forces the user to install the software on their system before making use of the service. For most customers, the installation step is a large detraction at least because it asks the customer to execute potentially untrusted software on their computer, it asks the customer to configure and setup a software application, it often forces the customer to restart their computer, and it delays the customer""s access to the service. For many potential customers, the installation step is not possible because, they either do not have permission to install software for corporate security reasons, or they use a non-standard operating system, such as a UNIX derivative or MacOS. By contrast, the present invention uses the java runtime component of a standard browser to provide the remote-control, the audio/video, the two-way text, and all other aspects of the client-side requirements to allow the customer to use the service without installing software.
Further aspects of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and drawings which illustrate the invention and preferred embodiments of the invention.